Closing games going to be a lot tougher for New York Yankees in 2014

Yankees relief pitcher David Robertson could be the team's closer next season.Associated Press

By RICKY KEELER

In Monday night’s 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Yankees’ fans got another taste of what the 2014 season will be like without Mariano Rivera.

With manager Joe Girardi giving Rivera the night off after three blown saves in the Yankees’ last four games, the team looked to set-up man David Robertson to get the save. He did, but it wasn’t easy as Robertson struck out the last two batters he faced with the bases loaded to seal the victory.

These last few days have shown us that while Rivera is the greatest closer of all-time, he is still human. When “the Sandman” blows a save, it is always memorable because you rarely see Mo slip up. With his retirement coming at the end of next month, the Bronx Bombers will go into the offseason looking to find the “heir apparent” to Rivera.

One might argue that the Yankees may go to the free agent route to find another closer. At the moment, that path may be tough to follow considering the Yankees are trying to get under $189 million in payroll by next season. Plus, there is not a single free-agent closer available that is neither over the age of 30, nor worth a long-term contract. There would have been Joba Chamberlain, but his fastballs are now mere batting practice compared to when he was a phenom in 2007.

If the team looks internally, they may just have their answer. Robertson will be 29 years old in April, and has shown flashes that he could be next in line for the ninth inning.

D-ROB IS LIKE HOUDINI

The last three outs are the toughest in baseball, and Robertson does not make getting three outs any easier. There is a reason why D-Rob is nicknamed “Houdini”. Over the course of the last five years, he has always put himself into jams, but always seems to wiggle his way out of it.

When the odds are against him, it appears that Robertson never seems to panic, in fact, he may even feel confident. According to Elias, Robertson has retired 25 straight batters with the bases loaded; five batters shy of the Major League record set by then Giants’ reliever Jeff Brantley.

Robertson’s pitch arsenal includes a low 90s fastball and cutter, as well as a knuckle curvel used as his signature bread and butter pitch. This season, D-Rob’s 1.81 ERA is the second lowest of his career. He has only given up four home runs this season while striking out 60 batters over the course of 53 games.

When Rivera tore his ACL last season, Robertson was initially given the opportunity to close games before Rafael Soriano. Unfortunately, he struggled by converting only two saves in five save opportunities.

While it was only a game in mid-August, last night felt like an important save for D-Rob with the crowd chanting, “We want Mo, We Want Mo.” However, it is good to see that Robertson knows he will never compare to Rivera and will just go out there and pitch his own game.

"I'm not him," Robertson said, "I'm never going to be him. It's not going to be silky smooth.”

It’s one thing Yankees’ fans will have to get used to starting next year. The ninth inning is not going to seem so definite, but at least with Robertson, it still may be a success more often than not. Plus, due to his nickname, fans may have higher levels of nervousness than usual, but D-Rob may bring a unique magic to Yankee Stadium with his Houdini act closing out Yankees’ wins.

Finally, don’t rule out Robertson getting more save chances in September should the Yankees fall out of playoff contention in order to groom him for what lies ahead next season.

Do you think David Robertson can be a successful closer for the Yankees heading into next year? Voice your opinion in the comment section below.